In 2017, after James Ibori was released from jail in the UK, his aides, hangers-on and lackeys went on a media blitz to rehabilitate his image. Their main argument was that Ibori was, in fact, innocent of the crimes he was convicted and jailed for and that he was a victim of national and international conspiracies. When I responded to one of such outlandish claims, two of Ibori’s shameless and garrulous lackeys – Magnus Onyibe, a commissioner under Ibori and Tony Eluemunor, Ibori’s media aide – unleashed a fierce media attack on me. Onyibe, in particular, was more determined and strident. Like the classic pig in the mud, he kept throwing everything at me, hoping to draw me into the mud with him.
He wrote three articles of cumulatively 15,000-word count – some of which I even published as opinion Editor of BusinessDay at the time – all dedicated to insulting me. So desperate was the attempt to rewrite history that some of Ibori’s lackeys made repeated attempts to edit and re-edit Ibori’s Wikipedia bio page to remove his corruption conviction information there.
But even Onyibe admitted that Ibori was a criminal; that he lived a life of crime in the UK in the early 1990s and was twice convicted for credit card fraud and stealing from a shop. But he said those were just “minor infractions”, compared to “worse crimes” committed in the top echelon of the British and Nigerian government. It turned out that Ibori was one of Nigeria’s government officials to commit one of the greatest heists of public resources. Of course, Onyibe disagreed. His evidence? The Delta state government has not complained of any missing money from its coffers.
From evidence available, Ibori wasn’t just a petty criminal. He is an incorrigible one. And Nigeria is a place where his likes thrive
But from the evidence available, Ibori wasn’t just a petty criminal. He is an incorrigible one. And Nigeria is a place where his likes thrive. Andrew Walker of the BBC’s piece of 2012 titled “James Ibori: How a thief almost became Nigeria’s president” captures the risk Nigeria faces of its politics being dominated by hardened criminals. After his two criminal convictions in the UK, he returned to Nigeria and in 1995 was convicted by an Upper Area Court in Bwari, Abuja for stealing building materials. He was sentenced to one-year imprisonment with an option of fine – N1000, which he promptly paid. He subsequently changed his date of birth and, in 1999 contested for and won the governorship election of Delta state. He won re-election in 2003 and has remained the godfather in Delta state since then, single-handedly deciding who gets elected to what position in the state and at a time, even at the federal level.
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Of course, we all know what will happen when an incorrigible criminal is given power in a resource-rich state with zero accountability. He not only stole the state dry, but he also used the state’s resources to create a strong retinue of supporters and lackeys who have continued to stick with him. After his term ended in 2007, he attempted to bribe the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) boss at the time, Nuhu Ribadu, with $15 million in cash to enable him to escape investigation.
Of course, we know how it all ended. In 2009, after commandeering his trial back to Asaba, his stomping ground, from Kaduna, he got an equally pliant judge – Marcel Awokulehin – to dismiss the 170 count corruption charges against him on the grounds that there was “no clear evidence to support the charges.”
But in the UK, Ibori pleaded guilty at once to avoid an open trial which will shed light on all his crimes and also avoid the maximum sentence for his crime. Before then, his wife, sister, mistress, and lawyer have all been convicted of money-laundering in the UK and sentenced to various terms in prisons.
In one of his tirades, Onyibe even challenged the UK authorities to return the so-called money it accused Ibori of stealing to Nigeria to show they were serious. Well, now they are. Last week, Nigeria and the UK signed an agreement for the return of the initial £4.2 million ($5.8 million) recovered from Ibori by the UK. These will be used for infrastructure projects in Nigeria.
In 2020, UK prosecutors asked a judge for a confiscation order against Ibori of £117.7 million ($163.8 million). Nigeria is expecting the repatriation of that money when the judge eventually makes the order. The confiscation request also lists a Bentley and a Bombardier Challenger jet.
Since the announcement was made, a lively debate has ensued on whether the federal government has a right to the money since it belongs to Delta state. Elected federal representatives from Delta state even went further by successfully lobbying the national assembly to direct the federal government to hand over the returned loot to Delta state because it belongs to it. What is more, the Delta state government is preparing to approach the Supreme Court to lay claim to the money.
This won’t be the first time Delta state is doing that though. In 2013, it attempted to lay claim to the $15 million bribe money given to Ribadu by Ibori that had been deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria. I completely agree with the ruling of Justice Gabriel Kolawole in the case. “With utmost sense of responsibility as a judicial officer, to view the stiff resistance mounted by the Delta state government and its official as one which borders on the state’s acquiesce in the looting of its own fund or at best, as that of collaborators with its erstwhile governor on the issue of $15 million allegedly offered to former EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu as a bribe,” Mr Kolawole said while ruling that the money be handed over to the federal government.
Besides, Ibori’s loot technically belongs to the UK being proceeds from crime. The United Kingdom is just transferring the money to the Nigerian government out of benevolence and will not allow the transfer of the money to Delta state. It will just be handing over the loot back to Ibori, the looter.
